DJ Casper, the Chicagoan who created the ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ dies at 58
Casper was known to music and dance fans around the globe for the hugely popular line dance/song.
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CU slasher film returns home
“Final Summer” is a Champaign-Urbana-made indie slasher film about a group of counselors at a summer camp who find themselves fighting to stay alive while being hunted down by a masked killer, intended as a love letter to the classic horror films of the 1980s and featuring a local cast and crew. After premiering a…
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Shakespeare and ‘My Little Pony’ meet in upcoming play
Shakespearean tragedy and “My Little Pony” might seem completely unrelated, but the Twin City Theatre Company’s next play combines the two. In “My Little Titus Andronicus” by playwright Don Zolidis, a troupe of friendship-loving ponies gathers together to put on a play that’s often called Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedy as a gift for their princess. “Titus…
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CUTC brings The Music Man back to the Virginia Theatre for its fourth run
The Champaign Urbana Theatre Company is bringing a familiar production to the area next week. Illinois Newsroom’s Kimberly Schofield has more from the people who are bringing River City, Iowa back to life…for the fourth time.
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Young people and their horses opened the Champaign County Fair
URBANA – Cattle, sheep and swine are being shown off in agricultural competitions this week at the Champaign County Fair in Urbana. But this past weekend belonged to the horses, with three different horse shows on the schedule. The horse show on the fair opening day (Friday, July 21) was organized by 4-H, and featured…
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‘Ride the Cyclone’ raises questions about worthwhile lives
URBANA — The Station Theatre in Urbana is preparing for the opening of its next musical: “Ride the Cyclone.” In the show by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, a roller coaster accident kills five students, and a magical fortune-telling machine offers to bring one of them back to life. However, the teens must compete for…
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Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96
Tony Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to create “a hit catalog rather than hit records,” which he accomplished through more than 70 albums.
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Sinfonia da Camera hosts piano institute, announces season 40
The University of Illinois Summer Piano Institute returns during the week of July 24.
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Krannert Center for the Performing Arts announces new season
URBANA – Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced the artists for its 2023-2024 season. We’ve listed the events and artists below and a conversation with Director Mike Ross. Date and time Event or Genre Artists Sept. 8 ELLNORA – The Guitar Festival Malina Moye, Roosevelt Collier, Stephanie Wrembel Band, The Surfrajettes, Rodrigo y…
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Urbana’s Canaan Baptist Church is designated a local historic landmark.
Canaan Baptist Church in downtown Urbana is now a local Historic Landmark. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission recently granted the designation at the church’s request. Local architect Joseph Royer designed the building, which was built in 1909-1910 as the home of Urbana’s First Christian Church. Canaan Baptist Church moved into the building in 1977. Rev….
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Congolese music icon Ferré Gola performs in CU
Because this is Gola’s first performance in the United States as a solo artist, people are traveling to Champaign-Urbana from across the country to see the performances this weekend.
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Pride performance kicks off Allerton Park Concert Series
Dozens gather for pride event at Allerton Park and Retreat Center.
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LGBTQ+ pride on display at Central Illinois parades, concerts, movies and more this June
Central Illinois pride month events begin with events in Danville and Monticello on Saturday, June 3.
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Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ whose triumphant career made her world-famous, dies at 83
Turner’s manager says she died Wednesday after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich.
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Six pieces of modern ledger art by Josh Atcheynum now on display at Spurlock Museum
Six figures dance across a set of old documents at the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois. This is called ledger art, and it’s part of a new exhibit about modern Native American culture called “Welcome to the Pow-wow.”
